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Huszti returns to the Bundesliga

Davis Van OpdorpDecember 31, 2015

Szabolcs Huszti makes his Bundesliga return with Eintracht Frankfurt. signing an 18-month contract. The Eagles have continued their global recruiting effort before the transfer window opens in January.

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VFL Wolfsburg - Hannover 96 Bundesliga Fußball
Image: Getty Images

Trying to avoid a second relegation in six years, Eintracht Frankfurt has recruited 32-year-old Bundesliga veteran Szabolcs Huszti, the Hungarian international signing a contract until June 2017.

Huszti was in his second season with Changchun Yatai in the Chinese Super League, who signed him from Hannover 96 in July 2014 for 1.5 million euros. Huszti spent five years in the Bundesliga with Hannover in total, taking a two-year hiatus when playing for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia from 2010 to 2012.

"With Szabolcs we found more variation in our offensive play," said sporting director Bruno Hübner. "He knows the Bundesliga the best, has a strong left foot and is very effective with set pieces."

Frankfurt recruiting far and wide

Finishing ninth last season, Frankfurt have struggled this autumn under Veh, who returned to the club for a second coaching stint. A four-match losing streak before the winter break sucked Frankfurt towards relegation; only a matchday 17 victory against Werder Bremen kept the Eagles out of the drop zone.

Frankfurt have therefore been very active in the market, even before the transfer window reopens on January 1. Huszti is the second to come from a far-flung league, Frankfurt also acquiring Marco Fabian from Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara. The Eagles have now brought in three players in the last two seasons from non-UEFA clubs, and Fabian becomes the sixth player Frankfurt have acquired in their history without European experience.

Marco Fabian CF Atlas Guadalajara
Spending his entire career with Mexico, Marco Fabian will try out European football in Frankfurt.Image: Imago/Xinhua/P. Mera

"The market is becoming even more global," Frankfurt chairman Heribert Bruchhagen said in an interview "Kicker" released on Sunday. "We sometimes had nine, ten Germans on the field in the [Friedhelm] Funkel era, five or six of whom were from Hessen. Those times are gone."

With Huszti and Fabian now in the fold, Veh has depth in midfield he was lacking in December. Johannes Flum has missed most of the season after a knee operation, and Stefan Reinartz had his own set of knee issues in November and December. Frankfurt will try to re-energize their Bundesliga season on January 24 when they host Wolfsburg.